THIS ISSUE
As members prepare for an expected spike in litigation, LSLA president Chris Bushell (pictured) is determined to ensure that mental health and diversity and inclusion remain key priorities for London’s litigators
A survey of 550 general counsel and business leaders by law firm Hogan Lovells, ‘Litigation Landscape: How to prevail when technology fails’, has found businesses frequently leave themselves exposed to potential lawsuits and fines when investing in technology
In its January 2021 budget recommendations to the Treasury this week, the Bar Council has called for an extra £55m to improve the ‘dirty and unsafe’ conditions in courts, an extra 42 Nightingale Courts on top of the 18 currently operating, non-means-tested legal aid for domestic abuse victims and early access to legal advice for welfare and benefits issues, both of which have increased during the pandemic
The chief inspectors for prisons, police, probation and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have expressed ‘grave concerns’ about the long-term impact of court backlogs
A landmark Court of Appeal decision has paved the way for the use of damages based agreements (DBAs), where the lawyer is paid a share of the client’s award, and hybrid DBAs
Solicitors have won the right to have civil legal aid bills assessed by specialist judges, following legal action brought by the Law Society
The Law Society has proposed a two-week ‘pause’ of non-custodial Crown and magistrates’ court work, amid rising fears about the new Coronavirus variant
Lawyers have hailed a Supreme Court judgment on COVID-19 insurance cover, which could save thousands of jobs
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has stayed proceedings against a Magic Circle partner involved in a settlement 22 years ago between the former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and one of his victims
MOVERS & SHAKERS
Carey Olsen—Kim Paiva
Group partner joins Guernsey banking and finance practice
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Morgan Lewis—Kat Gibson
London labour and employment team announces partner hire
Foot Anstey McKees—Chris Milligan & Michael Kelly
Double partner appointment marks Belfast expansion
NEWS
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has not done enough to protect the future sustainability of the legal aid market, MPs have warned
Writing in NLJ this week, NLJ columnist Dominic Regan surveys a landscape marked by leapfrog appeals, costs skirmishes and notable retirements. With an appeal in Mazur due to be heard next month, Regan notes that uncertainties remain over who will intervene, and hopes for the involvement of the Lady Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls in deciding the all-important outcome
After the Southport murders and the misinformation that followed, contempt of court law has come under intense scrutiny. In this week's NLJ, Lawrence McNamara and Lauren Schaefer of the Law Commission unpack proposals aimed at restoring clarity without sacrificing fair trial rights
The latest Home Office figures confirm that stop and search remains both controversial and diminished. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort University analyses data showing historically low use of s 1 PACE powers, with drugs searches dominating what remains
Boris Johnson’s 2019 attempt to shut down Parliament remains a constitutional cautionary tale. The move, framed as a routine exercise of the royal prerogative, was in truth an extraordinary effort to sideline Parliament at the height of the Brexit crisis. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC dissects how prorogation was wrongly assumed to be beyond judicial scrutiny, only for the Supreme Court to intervene unanimously
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